Liam Woodards, 24, lived locally in Stratford, east London, Scotland Yard said. He was knifed after a fight broke out between a group of men at Westfield in Stratford on Friday afternoon.

Woodards was pronounced dead at the scene and a postmortem examination revealed he died from a stab wound.

Two other men suffered minor injuries during the attack, which happened in a busy area of the shopping centre called The Street.

Five men – two aged 23; one aged 20; one aged 21, and one also believed to be in his 20s – were arrested in connection with the death.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said one of the 23-year-old men had been cautioned for affray and released with no further action. The other four remain in custody.

Detectives have appealed for shoppers or anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward with information.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Andy Kelly said: "We believe that shoppers at the centre may have filmed or photographed some part of the incident on their mobile phones. We encourage them to come forward and share this potentially vital material with us."

A spokesman for the shopping centre said: "Westfield is working closely with the police and emergency services. However, as this is a police matter we cannot provide any further details at this stage."

The £1.4bn shopping centre, the largest urban complex in Europe, has more than 300 shops, 70 restaurants, a 14-screen cinema, three hotels, a 14-lane bowling alley and the UK's largest casino.

Any witnesses or anyone who can help should call the incident room on 0208 345 3775 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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